


Day 062

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [62]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:40:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22996336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [62]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 1





	Day 062

Denni shivered under a pile of blankets, and not from any chill in her cell. It had been almost two days since Devessa’s transformation. It was a grim reminder of the fate that awaited her if she were not careful. They had whisked Samross away after the monster was dead and left Denni here. Someone has been by to feed her yesterday but that was it. The… necessary bucket had been full by then but Denni has been too shy and embarrassed to mention it to the templar and she had been holding as much as she could in for the past day. She hoped someone would be by soon to tell her what her fate was, she was sure her imagination was far worse than anything the templars could dream up. Her family had told her all the stories of what happened to mages in the Kirkwall circle.

The clink of metal on stone jarred her from the spiral of despair her imagination was taking her down. The sound of an approaching templar. Denni didn’t know if that sound would ever not bring back the memory of the horrible transformation Devessa had undergone. She hoped so, that sound would become the background noise of her life now.

The templar who arrived was not Sir Keran or any that she recognized from the days before. He was an older templar, with bright red hair and a full goatee.

“Denni,” he said softly. “I am here to help.” Denni said nothing back. She didn’t know what sort of response he was looking for. “I am here to offer you a choice. We have not yet created you phylactery, so if you were to escape we would have no way of finding you.” What was he getting at? Was this a trick? A test? What response would keep her alive and her mind whole? “Life as an apostate is not easy, you will be forever on the run and there are many who would try to take advantage of you. Many apostates are targeted by slavers or mercenary companies.”

The urgency of her bowels was distracting but Denni thought he sounded sincere. He was offering her a way out.

“Life in the circle would be safer by far, but I know many mages find it unbearable. Keran and I will do our best to keep you safe here but I know the realities of the circle under Meredith and I can guarantee nothing.”

Denni didn’t want to make the most important choice of her life at fourteen. She didn’t want to choose quiet anxiety or panicked comfort. She didn’t want to do anything but use the privy but she didn’t know how to ask in a way that was not suspicious.

“If you are to escape it needs to be now and it needs to be fast,” Thrask said. That settled it. Denni was in no position to do anything quickly and she didn’t want to start her life on the run by soiling herself. 

“I’ll stay,” she said. “I’ll stay in the circle and I’ll be very good I promise.” 

Thrask nodded once and moved to open the door. 

“Just be careful not to be too good.”

Denni didn’t know what he meant by that and didn’t feel like asking. She stood shakily and left her cell behind. Thrask collected the necessary bucket and watched Denni’s awkward hobble-walk. Denni felt her face burn with embarrassment and she wished she were anywhere else. 

“If you are staying we meet to forge your phylactery as soon as possible,” he said. “But we have time for you to freshen up first. It is an important event after all.” He offered her a gentle smile, which she returned. If some of the templars were as Sir Thrask, perhaps the circle was not as bad as some made it out to be.


End file.
